Know your Tiranga, and how it evolved to be pride of the nation

 Like every free nation, India too has its own national flag. The septuagenarian Independent India is ready to hoist her symbol of freedom on 15th August this year as well, ushering in Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a celebration of independence. The National Flag of India was adopted in its present form on the 22 July, 1947, a few days before India’s independence from the British on 15 August, 1947.

The flag has evolved through years until the present one was chosen. Following are flags in vogue prior to the acceptance of the tricolour as national flag:

The first Indian National Flag consisted of three stripes of green, yellow and red. It is said to have been hoisted on 7 August, 1906 in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Square) in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata).

The second flag was very similar to the first flag. It was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907. It was also exhibited at a socialist conference in Berlin.

Dr. Annie Besant and LokmanyaTilak hoisted the third flag during the Home Rule Movement in 1917. It had four green and five red horizontal stripes, with seven stars (denoting the Saptarishi). On the top left corner was the Union Jack and a white crescent and a star were on the other top corner.

In 1921, during the All India Congress Committee session at Bezwada (present day Vijayawada), an Andhra youth prepared a flag consisting of red and green colours, representing the Hindu and the Muslim religions respectively. Mahatma Gandhi suggested adding a white stripe for the remaining Indian communities and a spinning wheel to represent the progress of the nation.

In 1931, a resolution was passed adopting a tricolour as our national flag. It was very similar to the present day national flag. It only has an entire spinning wheel instead of the Dharma Chakra.

In 1921, the design of the Indian flag was first presented to Mahatma Gandhi. It was designed by Pingali Venkayya, a university lecturer. The two colours, saffron and green, were chosen to represent the Hindu and the Muslim faith, the two principle religions of the country. Mahatma Gandhi modified the flag by adding a white stripe in the centre for the other religious communities in India. On the suggestion of Lala Hans Raj Sondhi added the traditional spinning wheel at the centre of the flag. The wheel was associated with Gandhi’s crusade to make Indians self-reliant by fabricating their own clothing.
The Indian National Flag, also known as Tiranga (tri-colour), has two-three ratio width and length. The saffron at the top bears the inborn trait of the Indians to sacrifice as well as the strength and courage of the country. The white stands for purity and peace-loving nature of the children of Mother India while the green symbolises success, fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land. In the middle of the white stripe, there stands our Chakra (a navy blue wheel). Its diameter approximates to the width of the white stripe and has 24 spokes. Also, known as the Dharma Chakra, it depicts the “wheel of the law. Its design is the same as the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital made by the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The wheel with 24 spokes, stands for progress would surely inspire the new slogan “Make in India”.

On the occasion of the 75th Independence Day of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the countrymen to crown every house-top with the Tiranga. As per the existing custom, the National Flag is hoisted in educational institutions like schools and colleges to inspire the students to respect the National Flag. According to Section 2 of the new code all citizens have the right to fly the flag atop their private premises. This is going to be implemented and ensured through the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
Indians feel elated whenever the Tiranga flies with the braggadocio for the freedom fighters, yet with the most humble message for the country men. It is the pride of the nation. It is a symbol of honour, patriotism and freedom of our country. Irrespective of the differences of language, culture and religion in India, the Indian National Flag brings all the Indians together, representing the unity of the country.

Debanjana Banerjee

Source: The Statesman, 13/08/22

‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ Nationwide Campaign

 Central Government is all set to launch a nationwide campaign “Har Ghar Tiranga”, marking the 75^th Independence Day.

Key Points

• Under this campaign, citizens will be encouraged to raise the national flag at their residences.
• This initiative was launched as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, by the nodal Ministry of Culture.

About Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign

• The Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign was launched to encourage Indians worldwide to fly the National flag.
• This campaign will serve as a symbol of citizen’s dedication to nation-building and personal connection to the flag, in light of 75^th years of In Independence.
• Its main goal is to inculcate a sense of patriotism in hearts of citizens and raise awareness on the national flag.

How is the National Flag regulated in India?

In India, government has formulated the “Flag Code of India 2002”. It provides guidelines on usage, exhibition and hoisting of National Flag. The Flag Code of India was operationalised on January 26, 2002. It regulates the display of Flag by Public, Private and Government Institutions. It formulates and compiles all laws, practices, customs, and guidelines to do so.

Revised Flag Code of India, 2022

In 2021, the 2002 code was revised. As per revised norms, Indian flag can now be made using machine and polyester fabric. National Flag can now be made using cotton, polyester, silk, Khadi and wool.

Shape and size of the National Flag

The national flag of India must be in rectangular shape. It can be made in any size. But it shall follow a length to width ratio of 3:2.

Restrictions on display

The Flag Code of India, 2002 provides no restriction on display of National Flag by members of private organisations, general public, or educational institutions, if it is being displayed with dignity and honour.

What is the Flag Code and how has it been changed recently?

 The use, display and hoisting of the National Flag in the country is guided by an overarching set of instructions called the ‘Flag Code of India 2002’. It brings together all laws, conventions, practices, and instructions for the display of the National Flag. It governs the display of the National Flag by private, public, and government institutions.

The Flag Code of India took effect on January 26, 2002. As per Clause 2.1 of the Flag Code of India, there shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of the general public, private organizations, educational institutions etc. consistent with the dignity and honour of the National Flag.

What led to the recent amendment?

The Flag Code of India, 2002 was amended vide Order dated December 30, 2021, and National Flag made of polyester or machine made flag have also been allowed. Now, the National Flag shall be made of hand-spun, hand-woven or machine-made cotton/polyester/wool/silk/khadi bunting, as per the amended flag code. The government will soon launch ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’– a nationwide campaign to encourage people to hoist the Tricolour at their homes to mark the 75th Independence Day. According to officials in the Ministry of Culture, the plan is to reach out to more than 20 crore homes across the country by August 15, the 75th Independence Day.

The amended flag code will facilitate the availability of flags on such a large scale and also make them affordable for the general public. Officials in the Ministry of Culture say the flags are now available for as low as Rs 30 on online portals. Once the flag code was amended, the government reached out to manufacturers and e-commerce sites to boost its availability. The Ministry has also held meetings with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart to make sure these sites would be a platform to buy flags.

Why is it being criticised?

The amendment has been welcomed by many, including industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, whose petition in 1995 had led to the Delhi High Court allowing hoisting of the national flag by individuals at their private premises. The amendment to the flag code has, however, been questioned by those who feel the move will break the association between the Tricolour, the Independence movement and khadi.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “By allowing the import of Tricolour made of polyester, an arrangement has been made for ‘China-made Tricolour in every home’ — the very China that is encroaching on our land.” Party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar added, “They (BJP government) have been vending government properties, and now they are aiming at selling the national flag as the country’s treasury is waning.”

What do khadi weavers have to say?

A section of Khadi weavers and activists have launched an agitation to protest the amendment. A nationwide protest has been called by the Karnataka Khadi Gramudyog Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) — a unit that spins the fabric used to make the National Flag, which has now paused operations in the wake of the move.

KKGSS, which claims to be the only BIS approved khadi unit for the material used to make the Tricolour, say they used to get orders worth Rs 3-4 crore every year in the run up to the Independence Day, but this year, in the wake of the amendment, the demand has been abysmal.

The unit became unique as a manufacturing centre for the National Flag in 2006, when it was accredited with ISI certification and an authorisation to sell the National Flag throughout the country. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission certified KKGSS as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Tricolour to the entire country. They have already written to the Prime Minister regarding the amendment.

How did India get its national flag?

On July 22, 1947, when members of the Constituent Assembly of India met in the Constitution Hall in Delhi, the first item on the agenda was reportedly a motion by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, about adopting a national flag for free India.

It was proposed that “the National Flag of India shall be horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesari), white and dark green in equal proportion.” The white band was to have a wheel in navy blue (the charkha being replaced by the chakra), which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.

While the finer nuances were subsequently discussed in the meeting, the final design of the Indian National Flag, hoisted by Prime Minister Nehru on August 16, 1947 at Red Fort, had a history of several decades preceding independence.

The first national flag of India 

While an Indian flag was reportedly designed by Sister Nivedita, an Irish disciple of Swami Vivekananda, between 1904-1906, arguably the first national flag of India is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, in Kolkata at the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park).

It comprised three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green, with Vande Mataram written in the middle. Believed to have been designed by freedom activists Sachindra Prasad Bose and Hemchandra Kanungo, the red strip on the flag had symbols of the sun and a crescent moon, and the green strip had eight half-open lotuses. Next year, in 1907, Madame Cama and her group of exiled revolutionaries hoisted an Indian flag in Germany in 1907 — this was the first Indian flag to be hoisted in a foreign land.

In 1917, Dr Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak adopted a new flag as part of the Home Rule Movement. It had five alternate red and four green horizontal stripes, and seven stars in the saptarishi configuration. A white crescent and star occupied one top corner, and the other had Union Jack.

A Flag for Independent India

The Tricolour was altered to become the flag of Independent India. Saffron on top symbolises “strength and courage”, white in the middle represents “peace and truth” and green at the bottom stands for “fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land”. The Ashok Chakra with 24 spokes replaced the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag. It is intended “to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation”.

Written by Divya A

Source: Indian Express, 14/07/22